


I Don't Mind an Easy Ride

by Theoroark



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic, M/M, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26650882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theoroark/pseuds/Theoroark
Summary: Pediatrician, PTA president, and single dad Baptiste gets to know his new neighbor and fellow single dad, Genji, a bit better.
Relationships: Jean-Baptiste Augustin/Genji Shimada
Comments: 11
Kudos: 22
Collections: Baptember 2020





	I Don't Mind an Easy Ride

**Author's Note:**

> CW for vomiting- nothing graphic, but it's mentioned in the last chunk a couple times.
> 
> Written for [Baptember](https://twitter.com/Baptember)\- appreciate this man!! Appreciate his content!!

Rayna Shimada has been a model patient. She’s ten and so when it comes time for her boosters and flu shot, she adopts the casual air of a near-teen too old to be concerned with a pinprick of pain. She answers Baptiste’s questions with a thoughtful air that lets him know she’s earnestly trying to give him a complete picture of her health. She solemnly obeys his directives to look left, then right, put out her left leg, then right. She’s earned her lollipop. 

“I know you’re a bit old for them,” Baptiste says to her. “But Dr. Rosaline has to hide them on me to keep me from eating them all, and I’m way older than you. So I always want to offer.”

Rayna snorts. “Makes sense,” she says. “You have a shirt with a bunch of candy on it, don’t you?”

Baptiste pauses with his hand on the basket of lollipops. “I do,” he says. “I’m surprised you remembered that.”

“Dad said it was cute,” Rayna says. Her eyes are on the basket now, not Baptiste, so hopefully she doesn’t see him blink rapidly.

“Right,” Baptiste says. He holds the basket out to her. “Well. Let me bring your dad in.”

Genji has a list of questions that Baptiste would bet good money he’s quoting verbatim from some parenting website. Rayna’s pretty different from her dad. She was telling Baptiste before about how much she loves soccer and got straight A’s last quarter, she’s got short hair and is wearing an oversized t shirt and sweats. Genji’s wearing a leather jacket and fitted jeans, and if the gossip Baptiste has heard is even a fraction true, he was never the studious type. But the two of them both try very, very hard. It’s sweet.

_Cute_ , Baptiste thinks, as Genji runs his fingers through his green hair, exposing his black roots. Baptiste smiles and nods in response to Genji’s thanks.

“Thanks for working us in early, too,” Genji says, in a lower voice as Rayna goes to the bathroom. “I’m a dumbass. Shi– stuff like this always slips through the cracks for me. I don’t know how you do it.”

“I have a job where they pay people to manage my schedule,” Baptiste says.

“So right now my options for remembering things are med school or buying a planner. Got it.”

“Sticky notes work well too,” Baptiste says. Genji chuckles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Seriously, it’s okay, right? It worked out. And her mom helps with this stuff, right?”

“Yeah,” Genji breathes out. “Just… yeah.” Then he smiles, and it seems genuine. “But yeah. Thank you so much.”

Rayna comes out of the bathroom and they leave. Baptiste takes a lollipop before Rosaline can stop him and meets with his next family, unable to stop thinking about Genji’s smile. 

-

Isaac’s sitting at the dinner table doing his homework when Baptiste gets back home. Baptiste does a quick scan and doesn’t see the Switch out of its charging station, or Isaac’s iPad furtively tucked away nearby. The half hour between when the babysitter’s time ended and the bus deposited Baptiste back at his building seems to have passed without any mischief. 

Still. “Sorry I’m late,” Baptiste tells his son. He kisses the top of his head and peers over his shoulder. He sees questions about settings and characters– Isaac’s favorite class has always been English. “What’re you reading?”

“ _Holes,_ ” Isaac says. “‘n don’t worry, Dad.”

“Mmhmm.” Baptiste sets his shoulder bag down on the counter and checks the fridge. He got hamburger this weekend, and stopped by Whole Foods to get the butternut squash sauce Isaac likes instead of tomato sauce. He pulls those out and a large sauce pan. “How was your day?” he asks, over the sound of rushing water. 

“Good,” Isaac says. “They finally told us about the Six Flags field trip you told me not to tell the other kids about.”

“You act surprised?”

“I think they were too excited to pay attention to me.”

“Probably true,” Baptiste says. He turns the heat on under the pot and lets himself collapse into a chair next to his son. Isaac sets down his pencil as Baptiste lets out a long sigh. 

“You okay, dad?”

“Tired, that’s all.” Baptiste rubs his face. “Got in early to see a family before the day officially started.”

“The Shimadas, right?” Baptiste opens his mouth but Isaac rolls his eyes. “I know, I know. Doctor patient confidentiality. You definitely aren’t the doctor for like, every kid in this building.”

“Would you want your doctor talking about you, even if their kid guessed?”

“I’m not guessing,” Isaac says. He points to the counter and Baptiste realizes in his fatigue, he missed a white box. “Mr. Shimada and Rayna dropped that off after school.”

Baptiste walks over. It’s a box of See’s Candy lollipops, the coffee-chocolate-caramel assortment. There’s a little kiosk on the stretch of street closed off for pedestrians downtown. One of those things Baptiste always walks by, always makes him crave sugar, and can never justify actually spending money on. 

There’s a sticky note with a faint soccer ball pattern on it stuck to the box. It reads, “Thanks Again - G.” 

Isaac coughs and Baptiste realizes he’s just been standing there, holding the box and smiling dumbly. He slams it back down and hustles into the kitchen. The water’s not boiling yet. He throws some salt in it anyway. 

“Mr. Shimada told me to tell you hi too,” Isaac says. 

“That was nice of him,” Baptiste mumbles. 

“He’s nice,” Isaac says.

Baptiste turns back to the narrowed eyes of his son. Baptiste rips open the package and tosses Isaac a caramel lollipop. “An appetizer,” he tells him. Isaac happily lets himself be distracted. Baptiste unwraps a coffee lollipop and wishes it could keep him from ruminating on Genji’s smile, Genji’s handwriting, Genji saying his shirt was cute. 

-

Olivia brings her conchas to every PTA meeting. It’s an ostensibly generous gesture that everyone can perfectly read the subtext of. People just need to look at the picturesquely cracked shells and they’ll flash back to the previous year’s bake sale, where Olivia sold out in the first half hour and made more than the rest of them combined. Olivia will show up to meetings late, dip out in the middle, and blatantly play Candy Crush on her iPad instead of taking notes. Her conchas serve as a scrumptious reminder that she will do what she wants, and get away with it, and none of them can do anything about it. 

“You’re the president,” Fareeha had hissed to Baptiste after one meeting, when Amélie and Olivia had come back from a “bathroom break” visibly unkempt. “Can’t you do _something_ to keep her in line?” And Baptiste had told her that shit was obnoxious, and she hadn’t pulled that specific move since. But he imagines that that was due to him being her friend, more than the office he held. 

It’s only Genji’s second meeting, and Olivia hadn’t bothered to show up for the first one. His eyes go wide when he’s passed the platter of brightly-colored cookies. “Wow,” he says, oblivious to the battlefield trophy he’s biting into. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Olivia says, her smile as sweet as her pastries. She turns to Baptiste. “So I don’t think I’ll be able to chaperone. Sorry.”

Baptiste sucks in a breath. “We haven’t even started the meeting, Olivia.”

“Just wanted to give you a head’s up. Know that trip’s a big deal. That’s what most of the bake sale money’s going towards, yeah?”

Across the table, Fareeha pinches the bridge of her nose. Olivia must see this too, because she’s grinning as she sits down. Baptiste looks around the rectangle of lunch tables they’ve pushed together to make a boardroom in the cafeteria. Most look some combination of annoyed or cookie-focused. Genji, though, is scrolling through his iPad, scanning for something. 

“The Six Flags trip,” Genji says as he stops his scrolling. “Right?”

“That’s the one.” Baptiste sighs. He likes to lead into this a bit more gently, sell it a bit harder. But if he’s being honest, he doubts anyone’s ever actually bought it. Maybe direct is the way to go. “Look, guys, it’s earlier this year. It won’t be that hot. And the more of us that volunteer, the easier it is for everyone.” Lena raises her hand. “Yes?”

“Are concessions paid for this year?”

“We’re providing everyone with water bottles.” Lena’s face falls and she slumps down a little in her seat. “Come on. If we don’t get enough volunteers, the trip doesn’t happen.” In the periphery of his visions, Baptiste sees a hand hesitantly raise. He turns to Genji. “Yes?”

“So wait– am I missing something here?” Genji looks around the table at the blank faces. “It’s a trip to Six Flags? And we get– what, discounted tickets?”

“They’re free,” Baptiste says. Genji’s eyes widen. 

“Wait so like– really? Why would anyone _not_ want to go?”

The room becomes still. Every face around the table becomes contorted in a moral quandary, between giving Genji a proper warning and letting the lamb lead itself to slaughter. Every face but one. 

“They all get motion sick real easy,” Olivia tells him. “Sucks, right?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Genji turns to Baptiste. “Uh, I don’t. And I’d be happy to volunteer.”

The board turns to Baptiste with bated breath. He ignores them, smiles, and says, “Thank you. Who else?”

Fareeha dutifully volunteers after a beat, then Angela and Mei after her. Satya goes on as many trips as she can as the principal, and the two fifth grade teachers will attend too. Some of the kid’s parents who aren’t in the PTA might volunteer as well, but they can get by alright with eight chaperones. 

“So, really,” Genji asks him, after the meeting is adjourned and Baptiste is packing up his laptop. “Is there anything I should know?”

Baptiste sighs. “It’s dozens of kids in an expensive, hot prison for six hours, basically,” he admits. “I mean like– have you ever been to Disneyworld?”

“No,” Genji says. “This is going to be my first sort of trip with Rayna, I think?”

He suddenly looks embarrassed and Baptiste suddenly feels awful. “Well,” Baptiste says. “The kids always have a lot of fun. And I mean– you like the rides?”

“I loved roller coasters when I was a kid,” Genji says. He’s smiling a little now. “Haven’t been on one in ages.”

“Then don’t let our cynicism ruin things for you, yeah?” Baptiste says. “You’ll have fun if you want to have fun.”

“Thanks,” Genji says. As he walks out of the cafeteria, he stops and says to Baptiste, “I like your shirt.”

Baptiste looks down at his short sleeve, lemon print button down. When he looks up Genji is gone and Olivia is grinning at him. He rolls his eyes at her, takes the extra conchas she’d saved for him, and heads home. 

-

It’s a cloudless day when the bus pulls up to the front gate. It’s 9 am and already touching eighty degrees. Angela looks grim as she passes out sunscreen and water bottles. Genji is wearing a bomber jacket. 

“You’re not hot?” Baptiste asks him. He shrugs. 

“It’s an outfit.”

Baptiste snorts. “Right.” He looks around. The kids are starting to cluster together around chaperones, forming the groups that will wander through the park for the rest of the day. It’s always striking to Baptiste how the kids of the chaperones always congregate to their parents. It means he doesn’t think anything of how Isaac’s lingering near him. Until he realizes the only other kids near Isaac are the soccer kids, Rayna’s friends. They’re here for Genji. They’re not here for Isaac. Isaac’s all alone, without a group. 

Baptiste is paralyzed. It’s one of those terrible catch-22s of parenting. He wants to help Isaac, but any intervention on his part will make the situation worse for his son. He hates seeing Isaac feeling so alone, but Isaac fundamentally does not need his father in this moment. Baptiste just wants to help his son and he has no idea how best to do that and it is–

“Hey Isaac, are you coming with us?” Both Baptiste and Isaac’s heads snap towards Rayna. “We were gonna go to the teacup ride first.”

“Oh! Yeah. If that’s–“ Isaac shakes his head and trots up to the soccer team. “Yeah. Let’s go!”

“Thank you,” Baptiste mutters to Genji, as they fall in step behind the kids.

“Don’t thank me,” Genji says, in the same low tone. “Rayna’s a really good kid, but I didn’t have much to do with that.”

“I don’t know anything about that but I know if I say anything to her, Isaac will kill me. So just let me thank you, alright?”

Genji smiles. “Alright,” he says. 

Baptiste has plenty of reason to thank Genji throughout the day. Genji goes on the teacup ride with the kids, then on the viking ship, then on the streak of roller coasters the kids tear through. 

“You sure you don’t want to try this one?” Genji asks, as they near the front of the line for something called the “Screaming Skull.” 

Baptiste makes a face. “Not big on rides.”

“Then why did you volunteer for this trip?”

“Because I’m the PTA president. I can’t exactly expect other people to do this if I’m not willing to myself, can I?”

“But you’ve done it… how many years in a row?”

“Only five.”

Genji glances over at the fifth graders. “Right,” he says. “Well. That’s good of you. I don’t know if I would have done something I hated for five years straight.”

“It’s just one day,” Baptiste says. “And the kids love it. And I like the food. Don’t like paying $9 for a slushie, but I like a slushie.”

Genji nods and is about to open his mouth, but then they’re called to the front of the line. Baptiste sits by their piled-up backpacks and watches Genji direct the kids into the rows of the train, then snap himself in next to Rayna. She smiles up at him and even from a distance, Baptiste can see she looks nervous. Then the ride starts and they putter out of sight. When they slide back into view, a few minutes later, Rayna is hugging Genji’s arm and grinning ear to ear. 

The kids have worked up an appetite from all their spinning and screaming, so Baptiste grits his teeth and they line up for their overpriced hot dogs. Towards the end of the meal, when the kids are blowing straw ends at each other and sticking their fingers in the rhombus-shaped holes in the table, Genji disappears momentarily. He comes back with a giant, neon blue slushie. 

“Wasn’t sure which flavor you liked,” Genii says as he hands it to Baptiste.

“This is perfect,” Baptiste tells him. Genji ducks his head down and smiles. 

In their post chicken tender and french fries haze, the kids are a bit calmer. Isaac enlists the soccer team’s help in deciding what in the souvenir shop is worthy of being the one thing Baptiste will buy for him, and Baptiste earns the unique pleasure of an entire gaggle of sad eyes and disappointed expressions when he sets a price limit as well. 

When Isaac has it narrowed down to a long, iridescent snake with a rattle tail, or a stuffed otter, he turns to Genji. “Which one?” he asks. Genji starts to turn towards Baptiste, but stops when Isaac waves his hand in front of him. “I’m asking you, not Dad.”

“Ah.” Genji turns back and points to the stuffed animal. “The otter.”

“Cool,” Isaac says. He drops the snake back in its bin and hands the otter to Baptiste. “These are one of your favorite animals, right Dad?”

“They are,” Baptiste says. Genji smiles. 

“Mine too.”

“They’re in like, a ton of youtube compilations,” Rayna says, from where she’s looking at tins of silly putty. “A lot of people like them.” Genji rolls his eyes at her and she sticks her tongue out as Baptiste pays. 

At 2 PM, Baptiste gives the kids the warning that they should start planning their final ride of the day. They, of course, choose what must be their seventh roller coaster. As Baptiste starts to dip under the metal rails that form the line, Genji turns to him and says, “Why don’t you try this one?”

Baptiste hesitates. “I don’t like rides,” he says. 

“You don’t have to,” Genji says. “But I mean. This will be your last trip, right? Don’t you want to go on one more ride?”

Genji’s eyes are framed by thick lashes, his collarbones are visible over his chaperone t shirt and his arms look so nice in his bomber jacket. Baptiste sighs. “Okay,” he says. Genji looks thrilled, and that’s almost enough to quell Bapiste’s dread as the metal safety bar closes in on him. 

“It’ll be fun,” Genji tells him. 

It is not fun. Baptiste gets dizzy just swinging on the swings next to Isaac. His ears are ringing as he steps off, and he blinks rapidly, trying to get the world to stop swaying. Fareeha and Angela’s group is moving to get on the ride as they’re getting off, and Fareeha stops and frowns at him.

“You don’t look good,” she says. 

Baptiste opens his mouth to tell her he’s fine. He burps a little instead. He thanks whatever brilliant designer put the trash can so close to the exit, as he vomits into it. 

-

Genji gets him to the bathroom while Fareeha and Angela split direction of their merged groups. Baptiste insists it’s fine, go help them, the entire walk to the stall. Then he doubles over and throws up more in the toilet. 

“This is so gross,” Baptiste mumbles as he rests his head against the cool stall wall. Genji laughs. 

“It’s fine. Nothing I haven’t seen before. My brother was worse.”

“God.” Baptiste runs a hand down his face. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Don’t be!”

“No, I mean– come on.” Baptiste gestures up and down Genji. “You’ve been on these rides all day, and you’re fine. You even dressed for fashion, not for– potential vomiting. Yours or otherwise.”

Genji shifts uncomfortably. “Uh, yeah. Not really.”

“What?”

“I was going to say it was embarrassing, but, uh…” Baptiste stares down at the tile floor. “So I sweat, like, a lot. And the t shirts you have us wear aren’t black. So, uh.”

Genji pulls the shoulder of his jacket down to reveal a massive pit stain. Baptiste raises an eyebrow. “You are wearing a jacket in late May,” he points out. 

“Trust me, it’s not that. I’ve sweat through shit mid-December.”

“Have you tried–“

“I’ve tried clinical deodorant, olive oil and lavender, whatever. Doctor said next step was botox. So I just sweat a lot.”

“Ha.”

“Yeah.” Genji shrugs the jacket back up and smiles at Baptiste. “So uh. Sorry you think I’m gross now, but hope that helps you feel less gross.”

“It does,” Baptiste says. He starts to push himself up, but suddenly Genji’s above him, helping him. “And you still look good in it,” Baptiste tells him. “You’re not gross at all.”

The fluorescent lighting of the bathroom is dim, but Baptiste can still see Genji blushing. “Thanks. That means a lot, coming from you. You always dress well.”

“You’ve complimented my shirts a lot,” Baptiste says, as they make their way over to sinks. 

“Have I?”

“Mmhmm.”

Genji leans back, watching Baptiste wash his hands. “Well, I’m right. You wear them well. Short sleeves really highlight your biceps.”

Baptiste stares at Genji in the mirror. “Are you really hitting on me right after I threw up?”

“You started it!”

The two stare at each other. Lena’s son walks in, looks between them, and heads to the urinals. The two stifle their laughter until they’re outside. Baptiste can just see Fareeha and Angela herding kids towards the bus. 

“This was fun,” Genji says as they follow them.

“Speak for yourself,” Baptiste says. 

“It was fun,” Genji affirms. “And tell you what. You live a couple floors above me, right? Rayna and I were going to get pizza for dinner. You and Isaac should come by tonight. Celebrate your successful field trip.”

They pass through the front gates of the park. Isaac is hesitating by the folding bus door. When he spies Baptiste, he perks up, and mouths, “You okay?”

Baptiste smiles and gives him a thumbs up. Isaac gets on board the bus. “Sure,” Baptiste tells Genji. “That does sound fun.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I’m [@tacticalgrandma](https://twitter.com/tacticalgrandma) on twitter if you want to talk to me there!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and any comments or kudos would mean the world to me 💜


End file.
